I am a huge Anglophile as you can tell by my username. One of my favorite desserts to make is a (modified) English trifle. It’s a multi-layered cake, custard, cream, and fruit (so it’s healthy! I tell myself) delight that’s easy to make and a hit with the crowd.

It is traditionally served at Christmas in the UK and some of its Commonwealth nations  but I make it in summer. I’ve started you off with the simplest version (seriously, a child could make this if you hulled and sliced the strawberries for them) but in the notes you’ll see what I do, because I have more time and patience.

There are two tricks to this. 1) You ideally need a trifle bowl. You could serve this in a tall bowl but half the fun is the presentation and seeing the layers. 2) You have to work fairly quickly because aside from the cake you don’t want to let the ingredients come to room temperature for very long.

Cousin Matthew’s Super Simple Trifle (with copious notes)

Store-bought pound cake (usually 16 oz) (a)

8 refrigerated Vanilla Pudding snack cups, they should be about 3 or 4 oz. each (b)

“Whipped Topping” about 16 oz. If it’s frozen, thaw a little bit to fridge temperature. (c)

I lb frozen strawberries, hulled and sliced in half (d)

1 lb frozen blueberries (e)

Defrost your strawberries and blueberries but not so much that they’re room temperature and gloopy.

Drag our your trifle bowl. It should be about 6” in diameter, larger preferably. Mine is about 8 or 9 inches across. If you’ve never used it, clean it thoroughly and put it in the fridge for at least a few minutes.

While your neglected trifle bowl is chilling, cut the pound cake into slices about 1-inch thick. Some people cube the cake but I usually make small rectangles, maybe 1” x 2”. Retrieve your trifle bowl from its exile. Layer the bottom with the cake and go about 1/3 of the way up the side. It’s like Legos. It’s fun.

Add the contents of four of your Pudding snack cups on the cake base.

Dump in your not-quite room temperature strawberries but save about 1/4 of them. I rinse them in cold water because strawberries can be a little grainy, and then pat them dry. Nobody likes a soggy strawberry.

Generously layer with the whipped topping.

You should be about halfway up your trifle bowl by now. If you are higher, adjust your next layers accordingly.

Everything should be firm and cool enough that you can add on the rest of your Vanilla cups without everything collapsing. Add the blueberries, reserving a few. Finish off with whatever whipped topping you haven’t eaten yet.

Now, for the wow factor: You have your reserved strawberries and blueberries and maybe some whipped topping so the trifle top is your canvas. I’ll admit I usually make my version of this for the 4th of July so the blueberries are arranged like stars on the flag and the strawberries get lined up like stripes. You can also create a little whipped topping mountain in the center and decorate with the fruit, like a Christmas tree.

Back in the fridge your trifle goes. You want to let it chill for a while but not overnight. I usually leave mine in for about two hours but my fridge runs very cold. I like it that way because it’s like a cryogenic chamber when it comes to fruits and vegetables.

And here are the notes:

(a) I have nothing against store-bought pound cake. I’ve tried to make my own from scratch maybe four times and it’s always been a disaster. I compromise and make Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix and let it cool. I also brush it with rum. Sandra Lee would be proud.

(b) Traditionally, you don’t use vanilla pudding, you use custard. It’s really simple to make, cheap and easy. This post is too long as it is so use this recipe: https://www.food.com/recipe/basic-vanilla-custard-344870

Alternately, buy a package or two of Jell-O™ French Vanilla pudding mix and make as directed. Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the trifle.

(c) No, “whipped topping” is an abomination. Whip your own cream. Even easier than making custard and I do it BY HAND. Carpal tunnel here I come. Take a pint or more of refrigerated heavy cream (you can never have enough), add about 2 tbs of sugar, preferably confectioner’s but any will do, and whisk away. If you’re doing this by hand use a smallish bowl, it’ll go more quickly. This is a trick I learned from Julia Child. Always use the smallest bowl possible. Alternately, if you have a mixer with a whisk attachment use that. Whisk until you get stiff peaks. Refrigerate your bowl for at least a half hour. When you take it out whisk a little more to loosen it up a bit but not too much because you don’t want to warm it up.

(d) You don’t use frozen strawberries, you buy them “fresh.” God knows where they’ve been shipped in from, and they’ve been frozen in transit, rest assured, but you will feel better about yourself. If it’s strawberry season where you are and have a local source use those.

(e) Blueberries are not a must-have. I like them because they’re a “superfood,” supposedly, but I’ve made this with bananas, peaches, raspberries, anything not too acidic. Do not attempt this with oranges or apples, for example.